Air conditioner and water heating system



Feb. 4', 1936.

c. o. KNUDSEN 2,029,574

AIR CONDITIONER AND WATER HEATING SYSTEM Filed April 3, 1933 J INVENTOR CHARLES 0. Axvuo sav .BY 1 Q .A oiaNE Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,029,514 I AIR CONDITIONER AND WATER HEATING SYS TEM

Charles 0. Knudsen, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application April 3, 1933, Serial No. 664,240

7 Claims.

The objects of this invention are to combine in a single unitary system all the several functions of air conditioning, house heating for winter service, cooling for summer service and supplying hot water necessary for use both winter and summer and to accomplish all this in a simple, practical and relatively inexpensive way, using largely standard pieces of apparatus.

The foregoing and other desirable objects are if) attained by the novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts hereinafter disclosed, broadly covered in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

The drawing illustrates in somewhat diagrammatic form, a typical embodiment of the invention, it being understood that the actual physical structure may vary, within wide limits, to meet different requirements and conditions, all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a broken, sectional and partly diagrammatic view of an installation of the invention with the parts indicated as arranged for day time winter heating purposes.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of the same parts arranged for night time winter heating operations.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation showing the system as set for summer time house cooling and water heating purposes.

In the illustration, a heater or boiler is indicated at 5, fired by suitable fuel, such as a fuel oil or gas burner at 6.

For purposes of greater fuel economy, this boiler is shown as having a coil 1, in the combustion chamber of same, connected across low and higher level portions of the water space 8, and in the stack portion of the boiler, a waste heat absorbing coil is indicated at 9. This boiler may be a suitable hot water boiler of a standard or accepted type, with the special features described incorporated therein.

At iii, a hot water storage tank is indicated, which may be of standard construction, having a service connection ll, extending down into the lower region of the tank at l2, and provided with a hot water outlet 3, at the top and drain M at the bottom.

For house heating purposes, a heat exchanger system is shown consisting of an upper, tubular, heat exchanger unit l5, and a lower coil exchanger unit "5, mounted one above the other in an airway or air box l1, shown as having branches H3, at the top to diiferent rooms.

55 At the bottom, this vertical air conduit has a screened air inlet l9, and a motor driven fan is indicated at 20, in the foot of the column above the air inlet for positively forcing air up through the heat exchanger units. This fan may be automatically or manually controlled, in accordance with the circulation desired or required.

The air circulated may be moistened, or chemically, or otherwise treated. Thus, in the illustration, a spray head is shown at 2|, in the top of the air chamber above the upper heat exchange unit controlled by valve 22, and a spray pipe is shown at 23, positioned to discharge down over the air inlet screen and controlled by a valve 24 in the piping 25.

The upper heat exchanger is shown as of the air tube type with retarders 26, in thevertical air tubes 21, of the same and the lower heat exchanger is shown as made up of pancake or flat spiral coils successively connected one to the other and. arranged preferably with the convolutions ofzone coil ofiset from the convolutions of the adjoining coil to force the air to follow a circuitous path.

When the spray pipe is in use, any drip from the screen may be carried ofi by the circular drain trough 28. m

The upper, tubular heat exchange unit, which may usually be the more eflicient unit of the two, is shown herein as connected in on the boiler and the lower coil form of heat exchange unit is shown as connected in on the waste heat utilizer coil 9. The relation of these parts however, may be reversed or otherwise changed and other forms of heat exchangers be used. Also, a single heat exchange unit or more than two may be employed, in accordance with requirements.

For winter time service, all the heat from both heat exchange units may be required. At such time therefore, they may be connected as illustrated in Fig. l, where the top of the boiler is shown connected by piping 29, with the top of the main exchange unit, which latter has a return line connection 38, to the bottom of the boiler; the waste heat utilizer 9, at such time, being connected at the top by piping 3|, with the top of the lower heat exchanger, the latter having return connection by piping 32, with the lower end of waste heat coil 9, by way of piping 4i, tank l0, line 63 and valve 38.

This day time winter heating circulation is under the control of two three-way valves 33, 34, in the upper boiler connection 29, and two threeway valves 35, 36, in the boiler return 30, for the upper heat exchanger and two three-way valves 31, 33, in the waste heat supply and return con nections 3|, 32, for the lower heat exchanger, these so-called three-way valves being set as indicated in Fig. 1. Also, at such (time, the three-way valve 39 in the cold water supply line is turned as shown to pass feed water down through the tank inlet l2 and the shut-oftvalve 43, is left open in a by-pass line 4|, from return line 32, so as to leav the lower end of the bottom heat exchanger open to the hot water tank through line 4| and valve 40, for hot water heating purposes. Similarly, at such time, the threeway valve 33 leaves an expansion line 42, open into the top of the boiler for expansion and hot water heating purposes. Accordingly, with the connections of the valve settings illustrated in Fig. 1 and described above, the main heat exchanger I5 will be supplied with heat from the boiler, the secondary heat exchanger l6 will receive heat from the waste heat utilizing coil 9, and the tank will serve as an equalizer for the heat exchange units and take sumcient heat from both for heating the water for domestic or other purposes. The connection 43 from the bottom of the boiler through three-way valve 38, to the bottom of waste heat coil 3, serves at this time to maintain proper water heating circulation in the tank.

At night time, in cold weather, when so much heating of the water in the tank is not required, the waste heat coil may be shut ofi from the bottom of the boiler and be connected in a closed circuit with the lower heat exchanger, after the manner indicated in Fig. 2, where three-way valve 33 is shown turned to shut off the bottom tank connection 43 from the waste heat coil and valve 40 is shown closed to shut off the tank return 32, 4|, from the bottom of the lower heat exchange unit l6. Also, in this view, three-way valve 31 is indicated as given a quarter turn to the right from the position shown in Fig. 1, to give the waste heat coil an expansion connection to the top of the boiler.

' Thus in the situation indicated in Fig. 2, the boiler and the waste heat utilizer will both be throwing heat into the house heating system and the hot water tank will receive heat in more indirect fashion, desirable conditions for night time, winter heating.

The boiler may be automatically controlled so as to furnish just the required heat under different situations described, or the same-may be manually controlled, if desired.

For summer time operations, the requirements may be completely or at least partly reversed, heat being then only or mainly required for hot water purposes and the heat exchange system being then desired for cooling rather than for heating Accordingly, for summer service, the system may be controlled as indicatedin Fig. 3, that is with three-way valve 39 in the feed line H, turned to pass cold water through line 44, to three-way valve 35, which then is turned a half revolution from its former position to direct cold water into the bottom of the main heat exchange unit I, which water acquiring heat from air passing up through the air chamber, rises and flows through top connection 23 and three-way valve 34, which has been given a quarter turn to pass this more or less pre-warmed water through piping 45, into the tank service-inlet l3. Thus domestic use of water from the hot water storage tank ll induces the flow of water that cools the air and, a cooling of the air in the house system is effected and at the same time. a warming of the water supplied to the tank. This heat exchanging relation may be expedited by use of the fan 20 and the air may be further conditioned by boiler and the top boiler three-way valve=33, at

such time, is turned a half revolution to shut oil. the line 39 to the main heat exchanger and put the top of the boiler in direct communication with they top of the tank through piping, 42, Also, in these summer hot water heating conditions, the waste heat utilizer is cut off from the secondary heat exchange unit It, and directly connected in on the tank by giving the three-way valve 31, a quarter right hand turn and the valve 38, a half turn to put the top of the waste heat coil in connection with the top of the tank through pipe 4|, and the bottom of such coil in connection with the bottom of the tank by piping 32, 43. Consequently, for summer service, all heat from the boiler including that from the waste heat coil is used for heating water and the main heat exchange unit may be utilized for cooling the house circulating air and for exchanging heat from such air to the hot water tank.

The heater may be either a steam or a hot water boiler and the heating system instead of being of the hot air type as illustrated, may be either hot water, steam or vapor, in which cases, the heat exchange units may be in the nature of radiators" located in the rooms or wall spaces. The expressions heat exchanger and heat exchange units are to be construed accordingly as suitable units for accomplishing the desired heating purposes. Similarly, other expressions are herein used generally in a broad sense, such as the term three-way valve, which is meant to include any suitable valving mechanism on the order of what are known as threeway valves for switching from one line of connections through another line of connections.

The spray for humidifying the air is shown as a matter of convenience as taken direct from piping 29, connected with the top of the main heat exchanger, but it will be appreciated that the same may be connected elsewhere in the system. Automatic control may be employed for regulating temperature, humidity, forced or natural air circulation and the like. Thus as indicated at 43 and 41 in Fig. 2, thermostats or the like may be provided in the air passage and at the domestic hot water supply tank controlling a motor device 48, for the burner valve 43, to automatically control the heater for both or either air heating and water heating requirements. The air used for heating and ventilat- 1 ing is filtered where it enters the system through screen I3 and further cleansed when the spray is used on the screen. The provision of the fan for forced air circulation enables an efllcient heater of reasonable size to serve for winter heating purposes, without being too large for simply the water heating service of summer. The fan or blower being located at the cooler, air inlet end of the air shaft is not injuriously affected by the heat transfer. The heater is economical in the use of fuel, as the coil I occupying a. greater portion of the combustion chamber form. an effective baille for the burner and the secondary coil above, picks up heat which aoaasra otherwise would pass out the stack The spray head above the heat exchangers and the spray coil below the same and separately usable, enable a choice of humidifying and heating and cooling efiects. Standard parts maybe used to a large extent throughout the system, making the installation relatively inexpensive for what it accomplishes and the operation of the system is economical and the control simple enough to be readily understood.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined heating, cooling and hot water furnishing system comprising a heater, 9, hot water storage tank, an air circulation conduit, 2. heat exchanger in said air circulation conduit and regulatable flow connections for connecting said heater direct to said heat exchanger for air heating service and for connecting said heater and said heat exchanger to said water storage tank for air cooling and water heating service,

and a waste heat utilizing coil in said heater and said heat exchanger to said hot water storage tank for air cooling and water heating service and a second heat exchanger connectible and disconnectible from the heater independent of the first heat exchanger.

3. In apparatus of the character disclosed, an air box having a screened air inlet, a blower for forcing air therethrough, a heat exchanger in said air box, a heater, a hot water storage tank and new connections controllable to send heating fluid from .the heater through said heat exchanger or cold water through the heat exchanger to the storage tank, a circulation from said storage tank through the heater and means for supplying a spray to said screened air inlet.

4. In combination, a water heater, 9. hot water storage tank, an air shaft having an air inlet at the bottom and air discharge means at the top, a heat exchanger unit in said air shaft, a blower for forced air circulation through said air shaft, means for variously connecting said heat exchanger with said heater and storage tank for air heating or for air cooling purposes and means for automatically controlling said heater for air heating and water heating requirements.

5. In combination, a water heater, a hot water storage tank, an air shaft having an air inlet at the bottom and air discharge means at the top, a heat-exchanger unit in said air shaft, a blower for forced air circulation through said air shaft, means for variously connecting said heat exchanger with said heater and storage tank for air heating or for air cooling purposes, means for automatically controlling said heater for air heating and water heating requirements and a second heat exchange unit in said air shaft-and connectible with and disconnectible from said heater independently of the first exchange unit.

6. A combined heating, cooling and hot water furnishing system, comprising a boiler, a hot water storage tank, a heating unit or units and regulatable connections variable to send all the heat from said boiler tosaid heating unit or units, or to send the heat from the boiler partly to said heating unit or units and partly through a heating circuit for said hot water storage tank, or to send all the heat from said boiler to said hot water storage tank, said regulatable connections including feed water connections for the hot water storage tank, variable to send cold water directly therein or to pass said cold water through a heating unit before entering the hot water storage tank.

'7. A combined heating, cooling and domestic hot water furnishing system comprising a heater, a hot water storage tank for storing hot water for domestic use and provided with a changeable service connection for cold water, and an outlet through which hot water for domestic use may be withdrawn as required, an air circulation conduit, a heat exchanger in said air circulation conduit and regulatable flow connections for connecting said heater direct to said heat exchanger for air heating service and for connecting said heater and said heat exchanger to said hot water storage tank for air cooling and water heating service and including connections by which cold water from a service line will flow through said heat exchanger into the domestic hot water storage tank as hot water is withdrawn from said tank for domestic hot water use and connections by which circulation of warmed water from the" heat exchanger induced by domestic use of hot water will be automatically effected from said domestic hot water storage tank directly through said heater and back into said tank.

CHARLIE O. KNUDSEN. 

